


the solemn contract of a life

by vannral



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet, M/M, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 23:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5110094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vannral/pseuds/vannral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint is stuck on a timeloop. Pietro dies. And dies. And dies. Pietro is a dead man walking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the solemn contract of a life

It’s a fixed point. 

Pietro is always meant to die;  _momentarily, empty eyes, blood on blue,_ in white hair, his blood on  _Clint's hands_ _-_

Clint can’t stop it. He can’t  _stop it, can’t stop Pietro from dying._ They clash, bicker, snark, it’s a beautiful,  _fierce_ dynamic, but it’s  _doomed, even from the start, from Sokovia's woods,_ and Clint - 

Ultron, Sokovia  _rises to the heavens, and bullets, robots, all over again, the same thing, and Pietro is going to die -_

But in this timeline? This  _time?_ Pietro kisses him. Wildly, harsh against lips, icy cold wind ripping their hair. Clint’s surprised, he’s  _shocked,_ because this hasn’t happened before, but  _it’s not a new thing -_

Pietro tastes of ash, of Sokovian snow, emptiness, he’s  _a dead man walking,_ and Clint feels his heart  _break,_ splinter, collapse in on itself, digging deeper,  _it hurts._

It’s a bittersweet kiss; Clint wants to cry, because he knows what’s coming,  _rat-tat-tat,_ and Pietro falls, that _smile,_   _you didn’t see that coming,_ and  _it hurts, no -_ so he grasps Pietro closer, tears burn his eyes,  _spilling,_ warm and salty, and a choked, broken sound escapes his throat. 

Pietro withdraws, surprised, worried. “You’re not hit, are you?” he asks, gaze flickering up and down, trying to see if Clint’s hurt. 

     “No”, Clint manages to say, but  _nothing is okay, nothing will be okay._ He can’t stop it. He’s tried, but  _he can’t._

Pietro frowns, and Clint is certain that he knows Clint’s lying,  _and he is, and he hates this. He hates this world. This timeline._

     “Try not to get hit, old man”, Pietro says next, tries to lighten to mood, tries to get the dark shadow of death shift from  _him, but he can’t._

Clint swallows thickly. He’s breaking from the seams. “Y - you, too”, he chokes out, and Pietro’s brows knit together. He lifts his hand, and pats tenderly Clint’s jawline. ( _Clint wants to die. Jesus, he’s so young, he doesn’t deserve this...)_

 _“_ Come on. Smile. Everything is going to be all right.” 

_No. Fuck this. Fuck this timeline -_

Clint grabs Pietro forward and snarls: “Keep your head down! Don’t get reckless, don’t throw yourself between any bullets, do you hear me?” 

Pietro’s eyes widen, and then, he scowls. “What’s wrong with you? I’m not going to. Do not worry." He presses a light kiss against Clint’s mouth, and Clint wants it, wants it so much it  _hurts,_ wants  _everything,_ but Sokovia is a fixed point. 

_Rat-tat-tat._

_Blood. You didn’t see that coming._

_And again._

When does it end? Clint’s tired, so exhausted, weary to his bones. 

And if...if Pietro is the fixed point, maybe it means that someone else must pay the price. The price Clint had been willing to pay since the first time. Always failing, in one way or another.  

So,  _rat-tat-tat, bullets, piercing through his flesh;_ blood,  _blood on the ground,_ and Pietro’s horrified face above him. 

 _Got’cha, kid. Got to save you, right?_ And Clint’s happy; so blissfully relieved that it’s easier to ignore that unbearable agony that’s ravaging his bones. He falls unconscious. 

Later, he wakes up in Cho’s Cradle. And Pietro’s beside him; waiting in a plastic hair, tired and pale, and  _furious,_ when he realizes that Clint’s awake. 

     “You’re a fool; a reckless, stupid idiot, and I  _hate_ you”, he snarls. “You think it was funny? Or brave? You were stupid! How  _could_ you do that?” 

     “Had to”, Clint croaks, but he’s so happy to see the kid alive. So wonderfully, beautifully  _alive, breathing, no bullets. “_ You did that for me. So many times, and I couldn’t stop it.” 

Pietro’s gaze softens, and he buries his hand grudgingly into Clint’s hair. 

     “Yes, well...you looked so sad, so... _heartbroken,_ I had to do something”, he murmurs, and Clint’s insides jolt. 

     “W - what? You - you  _know?”_ he stutters, fear,  _horror, panic_ clenching his lungs, making it impossible to breathe. 

Pietro nods, and he looks serious;  _a dead man walking,_ but differently this time. 

     “Wanda told us. Told  _me._ A limbo. How many  _times_ did you go through that?” 

Clint closes his eyes. “Less than you think. I sucked at it. Couldn’t handle it. No way.” He shifts uncomfortably. “So, uh...do you - remember or...don’t?” 

Pietro grins; it’s surprisingly gentle, soft. He bows down and kisses Clint. It’s so  _heartbreakingly_ gentle, light, slow, and  _it means everything that happened between the lines, between the days._

     “I remember. Stark calls it ‘residual’. Feelings, bleeding from all those timelines that did happen. I could not remember at first, though. Then, I saw you, and...” He furrows his brow, annoyed, worried and angry again. “You tried to help.” 

     “I tried to  _save_ you. And everyone, but you, yeah. You got  _shot.”_  

     “So did you. Stupid old man.” Pietro sighs dramatically. “I guess I have to stay here and look after you. Especially since Wanda is making eyes at the android.” 

     “Huh. I think I’m thirsty.” 

     “I think you need to be nicer.” 

     “Hey! I’m full of holes. It hurts, and I’m - “ Clint gets cut off, when Pietro surges ahead and kisses him again. It’s all right. This is real.  _This is real. Everything is fixed. Thank God. Fuck you, Groundhog Day._

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know I did a similar story - a very short story with Hawksilver, but with Pietro experiencing a time loop, but I can't leave time travel alone. I'm so sorry. I still love these two. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this?


End file.
